Apparatus for crushing large lumps of coal and the like

ABSTRACT

A pair of tracks are mounted beside opposite sides of a grid covering a hopper that receives coal or the like dumped from railroad cars. A horizontal shaft extends across the space between the tracks and is journaled at its ends in carriages mounted on the tracks. On one of the carriages there is means for continuously rotating the shaft that is provided with radially projecting means for striking and crushing lumps of material on the grid as the carriages are moved back and forth along the tracks.

United States Patent Rose [ APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING LARGE LUMPS OF COAL AND THE LIKE [72] Inventor: Bennie A. Rose, Mount Lebanon Township, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Heyl and Patterson, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Dec. 21, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 100,285

[52] U.S. Cl. ..241/33, 241/69, 241/86,

241/101 M [51] Int. Cl. ..B02c 13/02, B02c 25/00 [58] Field of Search....24l/69, 86, 90, 101 M, 185 R, 241/186 R, 194, 33, 205

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,828,681 10/1931 'Reinking ..241/101 M 2,558,107 6/1951 Smith ..241/194 2,723,803 11/1955 Cornett ..241/270 X 51 Oct. 17, 1972 2,996,259 8/1961 Stafford et a1. ..241/90 X 3,375,984 4/1968 Robbins ..241/69 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 139,675 1/1961 U.S.S.R. ..241/90 134,828 5/1960 U.S.S.R.................241/l0l M Primary Examiner-Robert L. Sp'rdill Attorney-Brown, Murray, Flick & Peckham 5 7 ABSTRACT A pair of tracks are mounted beside opposite sides of a grid covering a hopper that receives coal or the like dumped from railroad cars. A horizontal shaft extends across the space between the tracks and is journaled at its ends in carriages mounted on the tracks. On one of the carriages there is means for continuously rotating the shaft that is provided with radially projecting means for striking and crushing lumps of material on the grid as the carriages are moved back and forth along the tracks.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHBT 11 I912 3.698.648

SHEET 1 [IF 2 BEN/WE A R6155 ATTORNE)$.

APPARATUS FOR CRUSI-IING LARGE LUMPS F COAL AND THE LIKE Railroad cars filled with coal, ore or the like are often emptied by running them into unloaders where the cars are inverted to spill their contents into large hoppers. The hoppers usually are covered with metal grids that help to break up the bulk material as it enters the hoppers. During extremely cold weather the bulk material in the railroad cars may become frozen so that large frozen lumps are dumped onto the grids and do not break and pass through them. It then becomes necessary for men to go out over the grids and break up the lumps. Sometimes this is done by running bulldozers over the grids. In any event, it requires a considerable amount of time and labor to crush the lumps sufficiently for them to fall through the grids.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide apparatus for crushing large frozen lumps of bulk material dumped from railroad cars onto grids above receiving hoppers, the apparatus being automatic, simple in operation, capable of continuing in operation while dumping is in progress, and not requiring anyone to venture out over the grids.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is aplan view;

FIG. 2 is a side view;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line lV-IV of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, a receiving hopper 1 of conventional form is located beneath a railroad car dumper (not shown). The dumper may be the well-known type that rotates a car sideways in order to invert it so that its contents will fall into the hopper. The top of the hopper is covered by a heavy grid 2, through which the coal or other bulk material falling from the car must pass in order to enter the hopper. Any frozen lumps of coal, for example, that are too large to pass through the openings in the grid will, of course, remain on top of it until they are crushed or otherwise broken up into smaller pieces.

It is a feature of this invention that apparatus is provided for crushing large lumps of material resting on the grid. Accordingly, a track extends along the top of each of two opposite sides of the hopper, on the side walls of which it is mounted. Each track may be formed from an I-beam 3 on which a long rail 4 is welded or otherwise fastened. Slidably mounted on the rails are carriages 5 and 6 that are provided at their inner sides with angles 7 (FIG. 3) that book under the top flanges of the I-beams. Each carriage supports a bearing 8, in which is journaled one end of a large shaft 9 that extends across the space between the tracks. The shaft also connects the carriages so that they cannot move toward each other, and angles 7 prevent the carriages from moving outwardly across the tracks. For rotating the shaft, a large pulley l 1 may be rigidly mounted on a projecting end of the shaft and connected by belts 12 to a small pulley l3 driven by an electric motor 14 supported by carriage 6. The shaft is rotated continuously by the motor at a fairly high speed, such as between 200 and 300 revolutions per minute.

Projecting radially from shaft 9 around its perimeter are rigid teeth or pivoted hammer bars that are spaced lengthwise of the shaft. When hammer bars 16 are used, their inner ends are pivotally connected to brackets 17 projecting from the shaft.'The pivotal connections are made by pins 18 that are parallel to the shaft, as shown in FIG. 4. The outer ends of the hammers do not strike the grid as the shaft rotates, but they come within a few inches of it. Pivoted hammer bars are preferred to rigid teeth because, if they do not break a frozen lump when they strike it, no damage will occur because the bars can swing in toward the shaft and pass the lump and then swing out again to strike it the next time around.

As the shaft rotates, the carriages are moved back and forth along the tracks so that the hammers will reach all of the frozen lumps that may come to rest on the grid. Although the carriages can be moved in various ways, it is preferred to reciprocate them on the tracks by means of chains and sprockets. For this purpose, an idler sprocket 20 is journaled on a stub shaft 21 projecting from the outer side of one end of each I- beam. The sprocket projects up through a notch 22 in the overlying flange of the beam. At the opposite end of each I-beam there is another sprocket 23. Both sprockets 23 are rigidly mounted on a shaft 24 extending across the end of the hopper and journaled in bearings 25 mounted on the wall of the hopper. This sprocket shaft extends through one of the bearings-and,

as shown in FIG. 1, is connected by a flexible shaft 26 to a gear reducer 27 driven by a reversible electric motor 28.

Extending around the sprockets at each track is a chain 30, the ends of which are connected to the opposite ends of the carriage on that track. Therefore, when the sprockets are rotated the chains will move the carriages along the tracks. In order to periodically reverse the drive so that the carriages will be moved back and forth along the tracks, there are limit switches 31 and 32 beside one of the tracks. The switches are electrically connected with the motor in a well known manner. They are engaged by strikers 33 projecting laterally from the adjacent carriage, such as carriage 6. When a limit switch is tripped in this manner, it rever ses motor 28 and that causes the carriages to start moving back in the direction from whence they just came.

To deliver electric current to carriage motor 14 an electric cable 35 is connected to the outer end of an arm 36 projecting laterally from carriage 6 carrying the motor. Wires (not shown) supported by the arm electrically connect the cablewith the motor. The cable extends parallel to the adjacent track to a cable reel 37 that automatically keeps tension on the cable. At the reel the cable is connected with an electrical source in any suitable manner. As the carriages travel away from the reel, the cable is unwound from it and is supported on a series of rollers 38 mounted beside the track.

With this apparatus the carriages move the rotating shaft back and forth over the grid continuously, and the hammers on the travelling rotating shaft strike the lumps of coal or the like on the grid and break them into pieces small enough to fall through it into the hopper. Operation of this apparatus does not have to be stopped while a car is being dumped, as the falling material will not harm the rotating shaft. No manual labor is involved and no one has to stand on the grid. The motors can be operated from a remote point.

1. Apparatus for crushing large lumps of coal and the like dumped from railroad cars onto a grid covering a receiving hopper, said apparatus comprising a pair of parallel tracks adapted to be mounted beside opposite sides of such a grid, a separate carriage mounted on each track, a horizontal shaft extending across the space between the tracks and journaled at its ends in the carriages, means on one of the carriages for continuously rotating the shaft, sprockets rotatably con nected to the opposite ends of the tracks, chains extending around the'sprockets and connected to the carriages, reversible electrically operated means for driving the sprockets to move the carriages back and forth along the tracks together, limit switches connected" with said driving means and positioned for actuation by a carriage as the carriages approach either end of the tracks for reversing the driving means, and means projecting radially from said shaft for striking and crushing lumps beneath said shaft as it rotates while the carriages are moved along the tracks. 

1. Apparatus for crushing large lumps of coal and the like dumped from railroad cars onto a grid covering a receiving hopper, said apparatus comprising a pair of parallel tracks adapted to be mounted beside opposite sides of such a grid, a separate carriage mounted on each track, a horizontal shaft extending across the space between the tracks and journaled at its ends in the carriages, means on one of the carriages for continuously rotating the shaft, sprockets rotatably connected to the opposite ends of the tracks, chains extending around the sprockets and connected to the carriages, reversible electrically operated means for driving the sprockets to move the carriages back and forth along the tracks together, limit switches connected with said driving means and positioned for actuation by a carriage as the carriages approach either end of the tracks for reversing the driving means, and means projecting radially from said shaft for striking and crushing lumps beneath said shaft as it rotates while the carriages are moved along the tracks. 